It shouldn't come as a surprise that Michael Mauti and his close friend and teammate Michael Zordich are training together in Louisiana. The two players held Penn State together while the NCAA's sanctions threatened to rip the program apart and were friends and roommates long before that.

It's only natural that they'd spend time together preparing for the biggest tryout of their careers.

Penn State's Michael Zordich got his second straight start at running back as the Nittany Lions took on Temple at Beaver Stadium. JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News

“I've been in contact with teams and I've interviewed with plenty of them,” Zordich said at last week's Maxwell Awards Gala in Atlantic City. “I was able to talk with teams there and there's definitely interest out there so I just have to go out there and perform and just try and make the best of it.”

The two Penn State players reconvened in Mauti's hometown of Mandeville, La., where they're working with a trainer focusing on all types of NFL Combine-like workouts. They're making one final push to impress NFL teams and keep up their respective family traditions in the league.

Both players will attend Penn State's pro day on Monday, with Mauti following the same schedule he did at the combine, while Zordich will be a full participant.

Mauti's father spent seven years in the NFL as a player, six with the Saints and one with the Redskins. Zordich's father spent 12 years in the NFL as a player and previously served as the safeties coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. One would be hard pressed to find two prospects who know more about what they're getting themselves into than these two.

“It's kind of surreal,” Zordich said. “It's what I've been working for my whole life and it's almost here and I'm just enjoying it all.”

Zordich isn't keying in on specific times for Monday's workout, though he's feeling like he's at the top of his game. He's worked on conditioning drills with his trainer, Kurt Hester, where he's worn a mask for some workouts to simulate training at 9,000 feet. The mask won't be necessary for Monday's workout in Holuba Hall, but Zordich is optimistic that the stamina built from his sessions will pay off when teams give him a look.

“Every day you just try to beat what you've done the day before,” he said. “I'm the strongest I've ever been and I feel like I'm the fastest I've ever been so I'm looking forward to going out in front of some people and turning some heads on pro day.”